Workers' Compensation Benefits

March 18, 2016

Folsom Prison Workers Injured on the Job

Most people have heard of Folsom, formally known as the California State Prison in Folsom, due the fact that it was featured in a famous song by Johnny Cash. However, it is a real prison, and it is still in operation.

According to a recent news feature from Fox News, four employees of the prison were injured in what is alleged to have been an attack by one or more inmates. Authorities have said a 32-year-old inmate was supposed to be receiving his medication when he allegedly attacked two psychiatric technicians. Continue reading

February 16, 2016

Five Workers Hospitalized After Fire at Quincy Water Treatment Plant

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

A fire at a sewage treatment facility in Quincy resulted in five workers being hospitalized for smoke inhalation. According to a recent news article from ABC News Boston, the fire started deep underground in a system designed to reduce the odor of air being released into the local community.

While authorities are not sure of the exact cause of the fire, one worker believed it may have involved an electrical issue with a fan they turned on in part of the odor control system known as an air scrubber. Continue reading

February 10, 2016

Woman Sues for Discrimination Related to Workers’ Compensation Claim

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news feature from the West Virginia Record, a woman is suing her employer for allegedly discriminating against her for filing a workers’ compensation claim. This claimant is a certified nursing assistant who was working in that capacity when she injured her lower back.

She injured her lower back when she was lifting a patient who had fallen to the floor. First, it should be noted that patient-lifting injuries are becoming increasingly common across the country, and healthcare centers should be taking proactive steps to curtail this problem. Continue reading

January 23, 2016

Warehouse Scanners Updated to Prevent Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

People often associate carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) as a repetitive stress injury (RSI) that is typically caused at work. While this is true, many people do not associate carpal tunnel syndrome with an on-the-job injury or illness for which they can and should file a workers’ compensation claim. We tend to see employees who try to manage the condition themselves by purchasing hand braces at the local drugstore, or simply take over-the-counter pain medication or use an ice pack.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused when repetitive stress, or in some cases an acute trauma, causes the carpal tunnel to become compressed. The carpal tunnel is basically a tube surround a bundle of nerves that run through the wrist into the base of the hand. These nerves are responsible for the movement of the fingers. When the carpal tunnel becomes pinched, the worker will experience pain and weakness in the hand and fingers. The pain can also radiate up and down the entire arm, making it nearly impossible and painful to do anything. Continue reading

November 27, 2015

A Homeless Man’s Struggle with Workers’ Compensation

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In a recent news feature from The New York Times, a once homeless man discusses his current struggles obtaining worker’ compensation benefits and a fear that he will be evicted from his small basement apartment.

The man first talks about the 18 months he was actually homeless after immigrating to the United States from Guyana, where he worked on a fishing boat. Before he was able to get a job that would pay his rent and other living expenses, he spent his nights sleeping on New York City subway system trains. He said he first tried living at homeless shelter, but other residents were constantly threatening him. Violence in homeless shelters is common, including in those in Boston, because many of the residents suffer from serious mental health conditions, including schizophrenia with paranoid delusions. Continue reading

November 14, 2015

Staff at Worcester Recovery Center Discuss Patient Violence Risks

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

According to a recent news article in the Worcester Telegram, staff members at the Worcester Recovery Center are concerned about injuries to workers as a result of patient violence.

For those who are not aware, the recovery center is located next to the old Worcester State Hospital that housed the Department of Mental Health’s inpatients. Many of these inpatients were involved with the criminal justice system as well and were there pursuant to a court order. The new recovery center is considered the “jewel” of the department’s inpatient facilities in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Continue reading

October 25, 2015

On-the-Job Amputation and Workers’ Compensation Benefits

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

Some of the most serious on-the-job injuries result in the death of an employee. Accidents that are also very serious but do not result in death can result in the lost of an arm or leg. These types of serious accidents resulting in amputation are more likely to occur when doing jobs that involve the use of heavy machinery, though there is often heavy machinery in more types of employment than one might initially think.

Obviously, a factory is likely to have a lot of large machinery, and there can be serious accidents caused by these machines. All machines are supposed to have guards to prevent unnecessary injuries to employees, but we frequently see accidents caused by improperly guarded machines. Continue reading

October 10, 2015

Flowell Elec. Ass’n v. Rhodes Pump, LLC: Workers’ Compensation Appeals

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In Flowell Elec. Ass’n v. Rhodes Pump, LLC, claimant was working on servicing a well when he and his employer raised the boom on a work truck within close proximity to some high voltage power lines. They told other workers that they had raised the boom near the power lines and these other workers brought some type of “cover ups” to protect the workers from the power lines. These cover ups were laid across 15 of the high voltage line.

Despite the cover ups as precautions, claimant managed to come into contact with the high voltage lines and was seriously injured. He was working for his employer at the time of the accident and filed a claim for workers’ compensation benefits. His claim for workers’ compensation benefits was approved and he collected benefits but he also filed a negligence against a third party defendant who had its own workers involving in saying the job was safe and provided the covering material. Continue reading

October 5, 2015

Contra Costa County v. Workers’ Comp. Appeals Bd.

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

In Contra Costa County v. Workers’ Comp. Appeals Bd., a workers’ compensation benefits appeal from the Court of Appeal of the State of California, claimant was working as a medical technician when she sustained cumulative industrial injuries to her neck and one shoulder. Her on-the-job injuries required several surgeries and left her with permanent scarring. When claimant was injured, she was 49 years old and had worked for her employer for around eight years prior to becoming disabled.

Legal records also indicate claimant had a bachelor’s degree and a felony conviction on her record for possession and sale of methamphetamine. The workers’ compensation board determined claimant was disabled and assigned a disability rating of 79 percent. Her disability on the permanent disability rating schedule was 59 percent. Claimant rejected her rate claimant her future disability would result in further loss of earnings in an amount that would exceed the current rating. She also claimed that due to the nature of her injury, she was not likely to be a good candidate for rehabilitation. Continue reading

September 30, 2015

Health Risks for Beauty Salon Workers

by Jeffrey S. Glassman

When we think of workers’ compensation, we are often thinking in terms of an on- the-job injury and benefits to compensate worker or his or her family after he or she has been seriously hurt or even killed. However, workers’ compensation benefits are also available for employees who suffer from a work-related illness. Mesothelioma is one obvious workplace illness that comes to mind, but injury from chemical exposure is much more common than most people might think.

While workplace illness due to chemical exposure can occur in manufacturing plants, and, more obviously, places like research laboratories and chemical plants, there are other industries where workers are particularly at risk for chemical exposure-related illness. According to a recent news article from Safety + Health, beauty salon workers are at high risk for on-the-job illness. Continue reading